‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 7 Episode 5 Recap: “Live Through This”

We start off three years from now, where Bonnie (Kat Graham) appears to be in a support group of some kind. She talks about a mistake she deeply regrets that caused her to lose someone she loved dearly. We also learn that in three years, her relationship with Enzo (Michael Malarkey) has evolved into a romantic one.

Back to the present, (Matthew Davis) waits to see any improvement on Jo’s (Jodi Lynn O’Keefe) recovery. Since Bonnie revived her using the Phoenix Stone, Jo remains to be asleep (which has now been quite some time). Bonnie reminds Alaric that he is still a professor, and that he needs to grade papers that he has put aside to focus on bringing back Jo. She also asks for him to give her the Phoenix stone, so she can figure out what type of magic that was used to bring Jo and Oscar (Tim Kang) back.

However, she does what any girlfriend would do in this situation: pretend as if nothing is wrong, and complain about it later. The Heretics also struggle with dealing with a recently revived friend, and Oscar struggles to connect back to his old self. He remains lethargic, and detached from everything around him.

Bonnie heads to Mystic Falls to find more answers on the stone. Oscar tells her that while he does not remember anything, he does remember her taking him out of the stone. That is when Damon and Stefan learn from Valerie that the phoenix stone is not a device to resurrect a living thing. It already carries the souls of dead vampires. This means that Oscar, and Jo’s body carries the soul of one of the dead vampires buried into the stone.

After Bonnie receives the news about the stone, Enzo refuses to let her leave since Lily (Annie Wersching) has been looking for the same stone. Jo also begins to regain memory of her death, but it doesn’t match the story Alaric tries to explain to her. The guys finally recover Julian’s body, but soon discovery she has been framed by the other two heretics. Lily explains that the reason why she fought so hard to preserve him is because he is the love of her life. Valerie pleads with Damon and Stefan to believe she is the reason Elena was put in the coma. She wanted to make her sons pay for refusing to rescue them from the prison world.

Valerie tells the truth to Stefan that she tried to come back for him. However, when Julian found out her intentions (as well as the fact that she was carrying his baby), Julian made sure to terminate her pregnancy. Focused on making sure Damon doesn’t go completely rogue, Stefan now faces with the dilemma of his feelings for Lily.

Enzo reveals the Phoenix stone to Lily, but is confused of the risk Valerie had to take to keep Julian away from her. Enzo asks that she choose between him and Julian. Unfortunately, she picks Julian. If you know Enzo, you know he does not take rejection lightly. A major blow up is very likely for this vampire.

Guilted into telling Alaric the news about Jo, Bonnie musters up the courage to tell him the truth. Because Alaric is still mourning, she refuses to believe Jo is anyone but herself. Luckily “Jo’s” soul isn’t as hostile as Oscar’s. Once both accept that Jo isn’t actually Jo, Alaric proposes to help her accept her new reality.

Damon confesses to Bonnie that the best way to get revenge on his mother is to break her spirit. He wants the heretics to bring Julian back to life, so she can feel the same love he shares for Elena. Will he succeed? Or will the Heretics be two steps ahead? Is Alaric’s kindness to Jo the foreshadow to his death?

Can the Salvatores and Heretics live in peace? Find out on a new #TVD Thursday at 8/7c.